Turn your dreams into challenges
Transcriber: Simon Chou
Reviewer: Chryssa Rapessi
And that was it. That was your life.
It may last 20 seconds
like this match here, 50 years,
80 or 100 years if you are very lucky.
You have a beginning and an end.
Whatever you do in between,
that is your life.
The difference between you
and this match is that you have dreams
whilst this match is just standing here,
burning out and perishing.
And you, are you fighting for your dreams?
Are you slowly burning
out until you perish?
There is nothing that defines you
better than your dreams.
They are the connection between
you and your genuine instincts.
It is you in front of your fears.
You without shackles.
You are what you deeply
desire and aim for.
Yet most of people are afraid to pursue
their dreams. Why is that?
I believe it is because
the word “dream” has been corrupted.
Movies, songs, books.
They all talk about dreams
as the ultimate life goal and purpose.
So when we think of a dream,
we see something massive
about the greatest accomplishment
one can make,
or in case of failing,
one of the biggest disgraces.
I believe splitting your dreams
into specific and feasible challenges
is a great way to make your dreams happen,
whatever they may be.
The thing is that dreaming brings you
into a sort of a passive state
of beautiful observation.
When you dream, you observe.
when you are under challenge,
you take action, now.
And then two amazing things happen.
The first one is that you learn
a lot during the process,
not only by acquiring
knowledge and expertise,
but you learn a lot about yourself.
The second thing that happens
is yet more fascinating:
you are entertained.
You are passionate every day with finding
ways of overcoming the challenge.
The way I’m presenting it here,
it may sound as a game of words,
but it’s way more than that.
It’s the difference
between holding a passive
or a constructive attitude towards life.
I’m Miguel, and in the past 10 years,
I traveled over 80 countries
making movies and social projects.
I bet you think “What a life! How lucky!”
In truth, I wasn’t anyone special
but I was able to transform
situations with an approach
that served me time and time again
to follow my dreams.
A mindset I’ve also seen
to prove successful
in the decisions of outstanding
individuals whose path crossed mine.
I gave myself the professional
nickname Mr. Challenge
because I learned
both from my own experiences
and from countless inspiring people
I met on my way,
that no matter who you are
or how adverse life circumstances
may seem to you,
it is that mixture of courage
and constructive attitude
which helps you find
solutions to difficulties
and thus, to pursuing your dreams.
When I was a teenager, my dream
was to become an air traffic controller.
It’s a job with a high degree
of responsibility,
not so many working hours,
and yes, quite a good salary as well.
In other words, the kind of job
a mother wants for her son.
Back then, to become an air controller,
it was required to hold a degree,
but when I completed my studies
in Computer Engineering,
there was no call for the exam yet.
So I applied for a grant to go to Peru
as a renewable energies engineer.
True, I had no idea at all
about renewable energies,
but I really wanted to go
to South America!
With 22, I volunteered
at a local NGO in Peru,
and I met people who invest their time
and energy in helping others.
I was fascinated by it.
Their dream is nothing less
than to create a better world,
something technically impossible
for one single person to achieve.
Yet the fight is worth it
for them. How they do it?
They tackle feasible challenges by turning
the immense dream of a better world
into a specific challenge
of helping their community.
I ended up making in Peru
my first two documentary movies
directing a crew which knew way more than
me about anything related to filmmaking.
I wanted to make more documentaries,
but I had no money and no camera,
so there was just one option:
to volunteer.
I went to Croatia
and volunteered at a local NGO,
where I worked on a documentary project
about the role of mothers
during the War of Yugoslavia.
The main character was Maria,
and her dream was to release
her underaged son
from the Yugoslavian army, in war times.
That was an insane dream for her to chase.
But she didn’t think of it.
I was amazed
by her fearless determination,
which made me understand how powerful
it is to be convinced of what you want.
One day, for instance,
she woke up with the resolution
that talking to the Pope
would serve her cause.
She literally walked all the way
from Croatia to the Vatican
and was received by the Pope.
Maria ended up leading
a movement of mothers
across the six former Yugoslav republics
supporting each other to protect
their sons over war and nationalisms.
My dream of fighting for a better world
by making documentary movies
about inspiring stories
allowed me to meet incredible people.
Then I realized that those
who achieve their dreams
and attain the extraordinary
are just normal people without fear.
With 24, I move in Canada for half a year.
Once while riding
on the public train in Toronto,
I picked up a newspaper
abandoned on the seat next to me,
and I found an article listing
the top 10 immigrants of the year.
It caught my eye that nine
were businessmen.
There was just one woman
and she was an art director.
Isabella was from Chile
and left for Canada when she was 17
with 50 dollars in her pocket to pursue
her dream to become an actress.
She didn’t even speak English back then,
νow directs an outstanding foundation
in Ontario to support Latin artists.
The fact that she turned her dream
to become an actress
into the challenge of going to Canada
was the beginning of her success.
I got in touch with her. We finally met.
She told me she was very surprised
to receive my message.
They had worked with the same
videographer for 10 years
and he had just left a week earlier.
Voila! I found my first job
as a filmmaker.
I spent half a year working next to Isabel
and to other inspiring people
who were not afraid to chase their dreams.
In Canada, I learned that you are not
the same person you were 10 years ago,
and you will not be the same
person in another 10 years.
And the difference lies mostly
in the people you spend time with.
It’s pretty easy, yet really crucial.
Basically, you can choose the people
you spend time with to shape yourself.
What would you like
to improve about yourself?
Would you like to become
funnier and more joyful?
Then spend time with amusing people!
Would you like to fight for your dreams?
Then surround yourself by people
making their dreams happen.
After Canada, it finally happened:
the exam for air traffic controller came.
There hadn’t been one in six years,
and thousands of people applied
to grab one of the few positions offered.
I prepared myself and I passed.
Mother was so proud.
However, at the same time,
I received a grant of 120 euro
to go study arts in Indonesia
where I could perhaps make
another documentary movie,
even though I didn’t even
have a camera yet.
Now I have to decide between choosing
to become what I always dreamt of
and had achieved after years of effort
or go to Indonesia and see what happens.
I will only say that my choice
pissed off my mother very badly.
It was the turning point of my life,
and not just because it was the decision
that shaped my philosophy and way of life,
but for the lessons I learned.
I realized how making far-fetched plans
means a compromise for the future.
Does it sound familiar to you?
You plan something for tomorrow,
forgetting that today you are not
the same person as you will be tomorrow.
Everyone around was congratulating me
for getting a job which set up my life.
Well, there I was, 25 and feeling like
wandering the world and making movies.
Then I understood how pointless
are long term dreams
that you all enjoy if you achieve them.
To me, it’s pointless to invest
so much time and energy in a possibility
which may offer you glory someday.
I concluded that dreams worth fighting
for are those that you can either
achieve in a short term
or enjoy every day while you chase them,
regardless of whether
you accomplish them or not.
I had my first year dream ahead.
I went to Indonesia with €120 grant.
No camera and a very pissed off mother.
Once in Indonesia,
my first challenge was to get the camera.
The university director,
a stylish middle-aged woman
from the first moment told me,
“Forget it. That’s impossible.”
There was just one camera
and it belonged to the research lab.
I had previously read that her father
was the founder of the university,
and when I saw my whole
plan falling apart,
I told her that it was a pity
we could not make this happen
because I was sure
her father would be so proud
of linking this university
with a great social movie
that would be seen around the world.
Her eyes wide open,
she picked up the phone
a few seconds later, a guy showed up and
she told him, “Give him what he needs.”
I got the camera and I made
two more documentary movies.
One of them about Carlos,
a Spanish lawyer,
who left everything behind to start
an NGO at a remote island,
where he takes care of abandoned
children on the beach.
Three years later, he was
the first foreigner
to be awarded as Indonesian national hero.
Then, I felt I have to fulfill
my promise to a director.
I’m sure her father would be proud of her
for lending me that camera.
That made me learn a very valuable lesson.
If you know what people in front of you
dream of, you can do a lot with it.
In this case, I used it on my favor
to get the camera I needed
to start making movies, but take it
to your own personal life.
How often do you ask your parents,
your friends or your partner?
What do you dream of? Do you actively
support your loved ones to fight
for their dreams? You love
them and, you know,
their dreams is what they
are most eager about.
There you have a meaningful
way to be by their side.
After Indonesia,
I found an organization offering
a travel to a sanctuary in Thailand
in exchange for completing
an online meditation program.
I have done meditating in my entire life,
but come on a free trip to Thailand.
I completed the program and I spent
two weeks meditating at
a stunning island meditation that
was another turning point.
And with it, another dream came my way.
What an artist normally wishes
is to be unique.
And I always thought there is no better
way to be unique than by being yourself,
which is precisely what happens
when you meditate a lot.
You connect with your true self.
I ended up directing a meditation
retreat for artists in Thailand.
And traveling the world with a Buddhist
monk documenting meditation lectures,
the Buddhist monk taught me
that our mind is like
a glass of water with sand
in it. What is stress?
It’s like a spoon stirring the glass with
the water on the sand together.
He illustrated Meditation has taken
this pull out of the glass,
so the sun settles and the water
becomes crystal clear again.
Through a combination of what
I saw during my travels
and by acquiring meditation
as a regular habit,
my dream became solely to be happy. And
every day presents a new challenge.
Ever since, when I wake up and I’m
lying in bed, I ask to myself,
What am I going to do today?
So I’ll be happy.
My two main interests back then were
meditation and documentaries.
It became a beautiful dream
to make a movie in Tibet,
to portray that beautiful culture
and to fight for its preservation
by exposing the abuse
of the Chinese government.
I wish aware it was quite
a difficult dream,
so I came up with a specific challenge.
I thought if I travel 30 days
through remote areas of Tibet
by walk and hitchhiking,
I would probably have
great content to make a movie.
After four days, I arrive
at the first Tibetan town.
Out of curiosity,
many Tibetans surrounded me,
which caught the attention
of a dozen Chinese police agents
who arrested me and took me to a hotel.
They sent an officer
to guard the main door
and commanded me to take the first bus
in the morning back to Inland China.
Now here’s the difference.
If my mindset was, “OK, I’m in Tibet
and following the dream to make a movie,”
then I would have gone to bed
thinking, “That’s fine.
I will make it another time.”
I would have postponed it
because I had my entire life
in front of me to fulfill it.
Most likely, I would have never
gone back to Tibet,
and I would have convinced myself
that it was a stupid dream to chase.
Instead, I was not there
following a dream,
but I was under challenge,
which means if I give up, I lose.
I was afraid, but I was feeling
fire inside not to give up,
to carry on with the challenge,
with my dream.
I remained alert throughout the night
until the guard momentarily left his post,
so I took the opportunity to escape
the hotel by the window
and run away through the bushes.
I ended up travelling Tibet during
30 days, without even a phone,
until the police, the Chinese police,
finally caught me and sent me back.
When I came back home,
as I expected, I did have great footage
and again, a very angry mother.
I produced a documentary, Still Tibet,
which led to traveling the world,
attending film festivals
and even winning some awards.
Sometimes when you have a dream,
you may feel you have too big
of a task in front of you
and your whole life in front
of you to fulfill it.
That, my friends, is the perfect
formula for laziness.
Whilst when you are under challenge,
the game is on right now.
In the Tibet documentary, I took what
it seemed as an impossible dream,
And by turning it into a specific
challenge I could fulfill,
I made my dream happen.
But, how often happened to you
that you tell your dream to somebody
and they label you as crazy?
Your own friends and relatives?
Dreams are so deep and personal
that noone can really understand
what they mean to you.
That’s why it’s so hard to fight for them.
You will often feel misunderstood
and discouraged.
But if you are really sure
about what drives you
and you don’t listen
to your pessimistic friends,
you will be in position to do what
it takes to achieve your goals.
And this is a lesson I learned
after two years working as a videographer
for the best women’s cycling team.
As in many other disciplines,
the gap between males
and females is gigantic.
Back then, the best female was earning
50 times less than the best male cyclist.
Yes, a few women get to win
the Giro d’Italia or an Olympic medal,
Yet, for hundreds of them, it makes
total sense to train five hours a day
and spent months away from home,
regardless of whether they
ever win a race or not.
By then, I understood
that there is nothing impossible
until you are completely sure
you’ve tried everything.
And this is a fundamental insight
when pursuing your dreams.
The simple fact of trying
your best is already a victory.
One thing I learned along my travels
is that dreams rely very much
on cultural background.
People’s needs and ambitions
are totally different around the world.
Once I stayed a few days with a tribe
of reindeer herders in Mongolia.
They took me to meet the oldest
member of the tribe,
a very old lady who was sitting
on her feet and was blind.
She touched me very carefully,
especially my face,
and then asked
if she could ask just one question.
Can you guess what it was?
She asked very gently,
“Where do you come from,
from where the sun sets
or from when the sun rises?”
I replied, “I come
from where the sun sets.”
And I left carrying one of the most
powerful lessons I’ve learned.
Mongolia taught me
that happiness is simple.
That’s why it’s so complicated.
What is left of us if we avoid listening
to that little inner voice?
You don’t choose a dream, you discover it.
Whatever it is, it makes sense to you
because it’s your dream
and it doesn’t have to be anything
extraordinary, like winning a gold medal,
be a rock star or becoming
an air traffic controller.
It can be something simple
yet efficient for you,
such as learning to play an instrument,
having a nice garden
or spending nice quality time
with your family.
Nothing happens as you wish.
And that is actually your fortune.
What life would be without
that feeling of uncertainty?
Along my journey, I’ve learned
that with regards to happiness,
it has nearly no impact what you achieve.
What counts is your attitude.
You become what you dream
and the way you fight for it.
So, what can you do?
Challenge yourself and stop dreaming
and turn your dreams into challenges.
Run away from gurus
and lists with tips to be happy
and get closer to whatever inspires you
to know and value yourself
to explore your motivation.
You could stay there motionless
pretending you are immortal
and postponing for later
what you aspire to.
Or, you could rise up,
live every day as a challenge
and embark yourself on a true adventure
of following your dreams.
So when this life comes to an end,
you would be able to say
that this was a life worth living.
(Greek) Thank you very much.
(Applause)